Body Fat Calculator

US Units

Metric Units

Other Units

male

female

Gender

feet
Height

Neck

Waist

Hip

inches

feet

inches

feet

inches

feet

inches

Result

body fat = 13.4%

RelatedBMI Calculator |

Calorie Calculator

Ideal Weight Calculator

Reference*
Description

Women

Men

Recommended amount

20-25%

8-14%

Adults in United States, average

22-25%

15-19%

Obese

30+%

25+%

According to Health Check Systems, The American Council on Exercise has categorized the range of body fat percentages as follows:
Description

Women

Men

Essential fat

12-15%

2-5%

Athletes

16-20%

6-13%

Fitness

21-24%

14-17%

Acceptable

25-31%

18-25%

Obese

32%+

25%+

* from wikipedia.org

What Is Body Fat?

The scientific name for body fat is "adipose tissue." Adipose tissue serves a number of important functions. It's primary purpose is to store lipids
from which the body creates energy. It also secretes a number of important hormones.
Having an excess of body fat leads to the condition of obesity, and that can be unhealthy. Some people are more genetically predisposed to excess
body fat, and others build it up from lack of exercise and bad diets.
But body fat stored in the abdominal region can be reduced by diet and exercise. Women and men store body fat differently after the age of 40, or
after menopause in the case of women, reduced sexual hormones can lead to excess body fat around the stomach in men, and around the buttocks
and thighs in women.

Body Fat and Being Overweight

Being overweight does not necessarily mean that you have an excess of body fat. Powerfully muscled people often are overweight. A certain
amount of body fat is also necessary to staying alive. Human beings also have a specialized kind of body fat called "Brown fat." It is located mainly
around the neck and large blood vessels of the thorax, and it serves to generate heat to help keep us warm in severe cold.

What's Wrong with Excess Body Fat?

As we've said, it's appropriate to think of fat as an important producer of essential hormones. Our bodies' functions are controlled by hormones, and
so excess or lack of critical ones can seriously affect our health. Scientists have learned that excess body fat, especially abdominal fat, disrupts the
normal balance and functioning of these hormones.
It is known that body fat pumps out immune system chemicals called cytokines that can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. These
biochemicals are thought to make cells less sensitive to insulin, blood pressure, and blood clotting.
Another reason that abdominal body fat in excess can be so harmful is that it is located near the portal vein, which carries blood from the intestinal
area to the liver. Substances released by body fat, including free fatty acids, enter the portal vein and travel to the liver, where they can impede its
functioning.
Abdominal body fat is directly linked with higher total cholesterol and specifically with the so-called "bad" cholesterol that can clog arteries and lead
to a heart attack.
Insulin resistance means that your body's muscle and liver cells don't respond adequately to normal levels of insulin. Insulin is responsible for
carrying glucose into the body's cells. When there is insulin resistance, glucose levels in the blood rise, heightening the risk for diabetes.

Measuring Body Fat

Specific techniques must be used to measure body fat. The U.S. Navy has come up with a straightforward and useful method equations
developed by Drs. Hodgdon and Beckett at the Naval Health Research Center take into account differences in the way men and women
accumulate fat, thus different measurements are required.

Measure the circumference of your waist at a horizontal level around the navel for men, and at the level with the least width for women.
Don't pull your stomach in.

Measure the circumference of the neck. Start below the larynx with the tape sloping slightly downward to the front. Avoid flaring your neck
out.

For women only: Measure the circumference of the hips, at the largest horizontal measure.

body fat calculator formula for man:

495/(1.0324-0.19077(LOG(waist-neck))+0.15456(LOG(height)))-450
body fat calculator formula for woman:
495/(1.29579-0.35004(LOG(waist+hip-neck))+0.22100(LOG(height)))-450

Now plug the numbers into our calculator. But please understand that this is only an estimate precise calculation of body fat requires instruments
like bioelectric impedance analysis or hydrostatic density testing. You'll need to see a doctor if you want to be tested with absolute precision.

Controlling Body Fat

There are thousands of proposals on the Web to help control or reduce body fat.
But complicated gimmicks aren't needed: Good old-fashioned changes in diet and the use of the right kind of exercise will do the trick.
The first thing is to avoid "intensive programs." To lose body fat, and keep it off, you need to make long-term lifestyle changes. Find an exercise
regime that you can work at regularly. Reduce calories in your diet gradually and carefully, so that you maintain the changes.
Now limit the amount of carbohydrates you consume. Again, don't make any radical changes like giving up all carbs. Just cut down on starchy foods
like potatoes, rice, pasta and bread. Too much of these provide your body with more than it needs for energy and energy storage, and the remaining
part will be stored as fat. Cut back on them, replacing them when possible or limiting amounts when not.
Cut back on sweets too. Excess sugar consumed will be stored as fat. Satisfy your sweet tooth occasionally, but try to replace cakes and candy with
fresh fruit. Avoid soda and other high-sugar soft drinks, replacing it with fruit juice if possible.
Intensive exercise for short periods is the best way to burn fat. That means running on the treadmill, or rowing, or working out with weights. Specific
exercises to reduce your girth, like sit-ups, may have no effect at all if not combined with an intense workout.
Change your diet, do some exercise, and you will feel better and successfully reduce body fat.

BMI Calculator

US Units

Metric Units

Other Units

26

Age

Male

Female

Gender

feet
Height

Weight

Result

5 inches

122

pounds

BMI = 20.30 kg/m2 (Normal)

Normal BMI range: 18.5kg/m2 - 25 kg/m2

Normal BMI weight range for the height: 111.2lbs - 150.2 lbs

Ponderal Index: 12.30 kg/m3

The Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculator can be used to calculate your BMI value and weight status while taking your age into consideration. Use the
"metric units" tab if you are more comfortable with the international standard metric units. The referenced weight range and calculation formula is
listed below.

Reference
Your BMI is a measurement of your body weight based on your height and weight. Although your BMI does not actually "measure" your percentage
of body fat, it is a useful tool to estimate a healthy body weight based on your height. Due to its ease of measurement and calculation, it is the most
widely used diagnostic indicator to identify a person's optimal weight depending on his height. Your BMI "number" will inform you if you are
underweight, of normal weight, overweight, or obese. However, due to the wide variety of body types, the distribution of muscle and bone mass,
etc., it is not appropriate to use this as the only or final indication for diagnosis.

Body Mass Index Formula

The formulas to calculate BMI based on two of the most commonly used unit systems:
BMI = weight(kg)/height2(m2)
(Metric Units)
BMI = 703weight(lb)/height2(in2)
(U.S. Units)

BMI Table for Adults

This is the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended body weight based on BMI values for adults. It is used for both men and women, age
18 or older.
Category

BMI range - kg/m2

Severe Thinness

< 16

Moderate Thinness

16 - 17

Mild Thinness

17 - 18.5

Normal

18.5 - 25

Overweight

25 - 30

Obese Class I

30 - 35

Obese Class II

35 - 40

Obese Class III

> 40

BMI Chart for Adults

This is a graph of BMI categories based on the World Health Organization data. The dashed lines represent subdivisions within a major
categorization.

BMI Table for Children and Teens, Age 2-20

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends BMI categorization for children and teens between age 2 and 20.
Category

Percentile Range

Underweight

<5%

Healthy weight

5% - 85%

At risk of overweight

85% - 95%

Overweight

>95%

BMI Chart for Children and Teens, Age 2-20

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) BMI-for-age percentiles growth charts.
chart for boys
chart for girls

Ponderal Index

Similar to BMI, the Ponderal Index (PI) is a measure of leanness of a person. It was also called Rohrer's index. Comparatively, the Ponderal Index
is more even for different stature. Therefore, it was commonly used in pediatrics.
PI = weight(kg)/height3(m3)

(Metric Units)

Reference
The ideal human body weight has been a topic of debate for a very long time. Hundreds of formulas and theories have been invented and put to the
test, but the answer is still debatable. The ideal weight should be unique for everyone. The major factors that contribute to a person's ideal weight
are height, gender, age, body frame, body type, and so on. Here is a list of the most popular "ideal weight" formulas:
J. D. Robinson Formula (1983)
52 kg + 1.9 kg per inch over 5 feet
49 kg + 1.7 kg per inch over 5 feet

(man)
(woman)

D. R. Miller Formula (1983)

56.2 kg + 1.41 kg per inch over 5 feet
53.1 kg + 1.36 kg per inch over 5 feet

(man)
(woman)

G. J. Hamwi Formula (1964)

48.0 kg + 2.7 kg per inch over 5 feet
45.5 kg + 2.2 kg per inch over 5 feet

(man)
(woman)

B. J. Devine Formula (1974)

50.0 + 2.3 kg per inch over 5 feet
45.5 + 2.3 kg per inch over 5 feet

(man)
(woman)

The World Health Organization (WHO) Recommended Healthy BMI Range

18.5 - 25 for both man and woman
The Ideal Weight Calculator provides the results of all the formulas above for your best benefit.
All the formulas above are for adults, age 18 or older. For children and teens, please refer to the following weight charts published by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).